Bear cotton thread?

At http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bear_cotton_thread.jpg is
a picture of a cotton thread with at bear on it. It is made by the
very large producer J. & P. Coats of Paisley, Scotland. Can anyone
tell me anything about this?

It was sold in Scandinavia since the 1910's or something like that,
and a long time after that. It is very well-known here in Sweden,
where especially strong thread often is called "björntråd" (= bear
thread), because of this brand it seems. But I can't find any mention
of it in the English language (except that which is done by
Scaninavians), and I've searched a lot, on the net, in books, in J. &
P. Coats history, ... Isn't it known in Great Britain?
--
Per Starbäck
"Life is but a gamble! Let flipism chart your ramble!"